Dumping | Imamother

ectomorph

Wed, May 08 2019, 1:02 pm

Please respond to this thread only if you've had the experience of a few toddlers at a time.

I have a few toddlers close in age. Recently they have developed an annoying habit of dumping.

Anything that they find that's in a container that they can open, they open it and they dump it.

They are able to climb and one of them is an expert at childproof locks (everything in the house is locked and childproof).

I have explained to them very firmly many times that dumping is not allowed. I have yelled at them. I have made time outs and put them in their room or the corner. I make them clean up or help me clean up, depending how bad the mess is. They know the rule and even tell other people the rule. They still do it every chance they get.

For example I can't leave a closed container of sugar on the counter, because the instant I walked out of the room they opened it up and dumped on the floor.

They like to have dirt on the floor because then they drive their trucks in the dirt.. after they dumped they are always explaining to me that they need it because they need dirt to drive their trucks into.

My floors are wood floors so I'm not thrilled about having sand in the house which is the only alternative solution I can think of.

Any ideas? Consider that I also have a baby and I also have physical needs like using the bathroom once in a while.

thunderstorm

Wed, May 08 2019, 1:08 pm

You are bringing me back memories. My first two kids when they were toddlers had a game they called "Noninees". My younger toddler couldn't say onions , he called them noninees and every day they would take my onions and potatoes and throw them across the kitchen as if they were balls and yell "Noninees" as they threw them, cracking themselves up laughing. One day I had an abscess in my tonsil and I couldn't talk to tell them to stop. I picked up the phone , called my mother and started crying. In the background she could hear the noninees going on and she tried giving me words of encouragement while I sobbed away. They are now 18 and almost 17 and now I'm telling them to stop dumping socks and books on the floor. Those were the days. My sympathies to you....it passes and you'll actually miss it one day.

ectomorph

Wed, May 08 2019, 1:37 pm

pesek zman wrote:

I’m sorry. This sounds awful

Can you gate off the kitchen? And take them to a park/playground for them to play in actual dirt ?

They climb over gates. They already spend hours outside in the dirt. They never get tired of playing in dirt, sand, or water. That's why we do baths every night.

Fox

Wed, May 08 2019, 1:39 pm

Lots of memories here, too! I once bought one of those enormous bags of rice at Sam's Club, trying to be thrifty. I, too, made the common rooky mistake of going to the bathroom. In the approximately 2-3 minutes that I was indisposed, the entire bag of rice was spread out on my kitchen floor.

I wish there was a way to cross-reference this with the empty-nest thread. Remembering all that rice everywhere makes me appreciate a nest that's at least a little bit emptier!

ectomorph

Wed, May 08 2019, 1:42 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

Lol! I know it's normal I guess there's no way around it...

Last night they dumped out a Brand New Bag of 4 lb of sugar, a brand new bag of Himalayan salt, a box of noodles that I had opened to make for dinner, and some coffee pods that my husband ordered from Amazon that I didn't get into a high shelves quick enough.

of course it was all mixed together so none of it was salvageable and I told my husband that I really can't handle this.

I'm feeling more positive about them today because they really are cute. I think I will take a new strategy this afternoon I got them some new toys at the Dollar Store and I plan to try to get them playing with that.

tsc3

Wed, May 08 2019, 1:43 pm

First of all they sound adorable and clever k'h. Like above poster, everything is a stage that quickly passes even though it's very hard to remember that in the midst of it all.

I still remember my 2 toddlers cracking themselves up from putting the toilet paper and other things in the toilet and flushing it.... That's a time that I lost it too and burst in to tears on r"h...

FranticFrummie

Wed, May 08 2019, 2:41 pm

First of all, go on birth control! LOL

(just kidding)

You say your house is childproof, and then go on to list all the ways that it isn't working. Obviously, you need to look at your description of "childproof", and take it up a notch or two.

Padlocks on the cabinets are not a bad idea. It sounds extreme at first, but given the degree of mayhem going on, I think it would be worth it just for your own sanity.

There are extra high baby gates. Check out Foster's and Smith pet store online. They make gates high and strong enough to keep Great Danes from jumping over.

Another option, is to put them in a Pack n' Play before you turn your back on them. DD never did figure out how to climb out of one, and she was a good climber too.

I hope your fridge has a good lock on it. When DD was 2, she got up extra early and tried to make me breakfast. Scrambled eggs, shell and all. She dropped the rest of the full carton on the floor, and spilled a full carton of milk. B'H, she couldn't reach the stove knobs, because they were at the back of the stove and not the front.

I woke up to a little voice asking me "Mama, how do you turn on the stove?" Surprised

She was so proud that she remembered to use the dairy spatula with the dairy skillet, and had the dairy plates out. Never underestimate a two year old!

Last edited by FranticFrummie on Wed, May 08 2019, 2:41 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Aubergine

Wed, May 08 2019, 2:41 pm

I just read an article about toddler destructive play and the value of it. Destructive as in dumping, knocking down, taking apart. So is there anything you can set up that serves this need and skill building? A box or bin of things to dump? Things that would be used in a sensory bin at preschool. Pom poms, feathers, shredded paper, as long as it's not a choking hazard. If you set up a sandbin, expect it will be dumped and be proactive to protect the area. Perhaps buy little dustpans and whisk brooms for them to sweep it up. it won't be perfect but it will reinforce and make a game (and practice a skill).

FranticFrummie

Wed, May 08 2019, 2:45 pm

amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:

I'm pretty sure that at least half the fun, is dumping things that are forbidden. If it is something approved, it will lose it's appeal pretty quickly.

I had a heck of a time trying to keep DD from flooding the bathroom. If I turned my back at bath time, she would start dumping out the water on the floor. She had tons of cups of different sizes, and a pitcher, and a watering can. Somehow, the floor was the best thing EVER. I kept telling her "Water stays INSIDE the tub!"

I had to watch her like a hawk until she was about 6. She's super sensory seeking.

Rachel Shira

Wed, May 08 2019, 5:42 pm

I teach two year olds so I have experience with quite a few at once. Smile

Yes they love to dump. It’s called a schema and is a totally normal and extremely frustrating part of development.
I would:
1. Re-childproof your house and accept full responsibility for making sure things you don’t want them touching are out of reach.
2. Give them opportunities to do dumping and pouring activities that you are okay with. You don’t have to make your whole house into a sandbox but maybe you can put a kiddie pool on a plastic tablecloth on the floor and put some sand in, or water play, or a bin of rice with cups and spoons. Things like that. You can redirect their dumping there. “Flour is for cooking, not dumping. You can come here and dump this sand in this bucket.”
Eventually they outgrow it!

dankbar

Wed, May 08 2019, 5:58 pm

Oy! I remember when my 2 boys were toddlers & they were a team in trouble! A normal activity was squirting ketchup all over the place! Making trails of baby powder all over the house! Smearing the linens with balmex! Scribbling up the walls with crayons! Squirting toothpaste all over! One would scoop out the water from toilet bowl with a jug or washing cup & dump on brothers head! Smear icing from cake into the brothers hair!
Besides for unpacking cabinets & spilling stuff & destroying stuff! They made a boat out of a whole watermelon & balled out spaces for their mentchies on erev Tisha bav! First they threw it to floor to crack it! My entire house was sticking from watermelon when I woke up Erev Trisha bav! I couldn't even wash the floors regularly then.

thunderstorm

Wed, May 08 2019, 6:23 pm

I'm cracking up reading these stories. The best was when we'd ask the toddlers "Who did this?'" And their answer would be " bah-self" (toddler speak for BY ITSELF). 18 years later when I can't get any of my kids to own up to who took the last piece of chocolate or who took two helpings of meatballs without asking me and making sure there's enough for Totty , or who tool Tottys tools.... DH and I often find ourselves looking at each other , sigh and say "Bahself did it".

ectomorph

Wed, May 08 2019, 6:27 pm

SixOfWands wrote:

Would they be happy with a sand table? You could set it up on top of a large sheet to contain any spills.

And make clear that the sand table disappears if there's any dumping of the sand.

I am planning to set up a large sandbox outside. Last year, the issue was that they run in and out of the house and each time track sand in the house, and I Found it impossible to stay ahead of the mess.

ectomorph

Wed, May 08 2019, 6:31 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

You say your house is childproof, and then go on to list all the ways that it isn't working. Obviously, you need to look at your description of "childproof", and take it up a notch or two.

Padlocks on the cabinets are not a bad idea. It sounds extreme at first, but given the degree of mayhem going on, I think it would be worth it just for your own sanity.

There are extra high baby gates. Check out Foster's and Smith pet store online. They make gates high and strong enough to keep Great Danes from jumping over.

Another option, is to put them in a Pack n' Play before you turn your back on them. DD never did figure out how to climb out of one, and she was a good climber too.

I hope your fridge has a good lock on it. When DD was 2, she got up extra early and tried to make me breakfast. Scrambled eggs, shell and all. She dropped the rest of the full carton on the floor, and spilled a full carton of milk. B'H, she couldn't reach the stove knobs, because they were at the back of the stove and not the front.

I woke up to a little voice asking me "Mama, how do you turn on the stove?" Surprised

She was so proud that she remembered to use the dairy spatula with the dairy skillet, and had the dairy plates out. Never underestimate a two year old!

Padlocks are an interesting idea, although super inconvenient.

They are excellent climbers like you can't imagine and can vault or climb any obstacle. We have baby gates.

They climb out of pack n plays quite easily!! In fact climbing in and out of pnp and cribs is my toddlers idea of a relaxing activity.

That's so cute! I don't think my 2 yo could do that. The fridge does need a lock. My kids like to put their toys in the fridge right now rather than take stuff out, but I should head that off.

ectomorph

Wed, May 08 2019, 6:33 pm

amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:

I have a sensory bin for them but they want dirt... We have little brooms that they use to clean already

ectomorph

Wed, May 08 2019, 6:34 pm

Rachel Shira wrote:

I teach two year olds so I have experience with quite a few at once. Smile

Thanks!